The Secret Companion
by AngelG93
Summary: The Doctor has yet another secret: hundreds of years ago, he disguised himself as a human using the Chameleon Arch. That human was Van Hohenheim. So now, when left all alone, it would be just the Doctor's luck that the TARDIS would reach through time and space to bring him a new Companion... his son, Edward. T for language, violence, etc. PLEASE REVIEW
1. The First Encounter, The Last Encounter

_**The Secret Companion**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: Well, here it is! _Fullmetal Alchemist_ fused with _Doctor Who_. This could be the start of a potentially never-ending fanfic (oh, joy! We'll see…) Oh, and **no yaoi.** I'm just saying…

First of all, I'm using Ten(nant) as my Doctor, and I'm picking up the story right after the space Titanic incident (the first episode of Season Four), so it's before Donna becomes his Companion. From there… expect nothing to be the same as canon _Doctor Who_ plot, because I haven't even watched that far. *hides face in shame* For that same reason, please be gentle with me if I make up some fact about the _Doctor Who_ universe that is incorrect; I can only write about what I know, which is all of Nine, most of Ten, and some of Eleven.

Next, I'm using the manga/_Brotherhood_ universe as my _FMA_ basis. I love the 2003 series as well, but _FMAB_ suits the purposes of this story better.

Lastly, hang onto your hats because I'm throwing you a curve ball in this first chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 1: The First Encounter, the Last Encounter**

It really hadn't been his day. After the Master had died in his arms and Martha had left him, he'd _had_ to land himself on an interstellar reincarnation of the Titanic and watch far too many people die.

Merry Christmas.

Now, he was alone again. He'd told Mr. Copper that travelling alone was better, but… that might have been a lie. The Doctor ambled about the TARDIS's control room, running his hand along the console.

"I guess it's just you and me now," he crooned to the ship.

Just then, everything lurched. How could that be? The TARDIS wasn't moving. No, it was like something else was being drawn inside the ship, into the very room. What could it be – some sort of spacial distortion? The Doctor examined his scanners, but steam billowed from the controls and blocked his view. Coughing, he waved a hand in front of his face and stepped back to find… a boy.

He was, oh – fifteen, sixteen – with blonde hair pulled back in a braid and eyes as golden as the heart of the TARDIS. He was garbed in black topped by a vibrantly red duster, and his boots were padded on the bottom to aid his lack of natural height. But, what really drew attention was the long blade that was sticking out from his right forearm… which was made of metal. For a long moment, he and the Doctor just… stared at each other… and then-

"Who the hell are you? Where the hell am I? What the hell's going on?"

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow. "That's an awful lot of 'hell's, don't you think?"

"What?"

"What?"

"I'm asking the questions here!" thundered the boy, leveling the attached knife toward the Doctor's throat.

"Now, now, Ed, can't we be civil about this-"

The boy jolted back from the Doctor in surprise, "How'd you know my name?"

"I… uh…" How _did_ he know that name? He racked his brains; it was buried in there, somewhere deep, somewhere he'd forgotten since his many regenerations. What was it?

"Who are you?" Ed asked, a little more calmly this time.

"I'm the Doctor," the owner of that name responded automatically. "And you're Edward Elric, right? Fullmetal Alchemist? Hero of the People, all that?"

"Yeah. You say you're a doctor; are you in on the Homunculus's scheme or something, 'cause that nutty gold-toothed doctor must have sent me here through the Portal or-"

"Oh!" cried the Doctor as he began to remember something. "Of course! The Portal! That's how you got here!"

"That's what I just said," huffed Ed. The boy seemed to be getting the mistaken impression that the Doctor wasn't all that bright.

"But, don't you see? The Portal is another method of travel throughout space. It's just that no one really uses it much because it's so dangerous, so closely tied to the very fabric of the universe. _But_, the Time Vortex intersects with the Portal, and the TARDIS spotted you and brought you here. Oh, ho, ho! That's brilliant!"

Now Ed was the one who felt stupid. "Huh? Do you mind… explaining all that in the Fuhrer's Amestrian?"

Fuhrer… Amestris… it was all coming back to him now – everything. The Doctor smiled at Ed for a moment, but then his face fell.

"Wait a minute. You said you were in the Portal because a scientist working with the Homunculus trapped you there?"

"Yeah. I think it was taking me somewhere else before this… tar-dis thing got in the way."

"TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimension In Space."

"So… it's a time-travelling spaceship?"

"Exactly! Oh, you're quite smart, aren't you? Usually, I have to spend an hour or two trying to justify the possibility of my existence…"

"Nothing is impossible," Ed insisited, with the side note of, "except bringing back the dead."

"Oh, but I've even gotten around _that_ a few times, what with parallel universes, paradoxes, you know."

"But, anyway," said the Doctor, bringing himself back on topic, "the point is, the TARDIS pulled you away from your planet at _that_ moment, almost eighty years ago from our current stand-point." His eyes widened. "I've got to send you back, right now."

"You mean you know what's supposed to happen, and if I'm not there, it all goes to hell?"

"Basically. I mean… I _could_ send you back after the Promised Day, but then you would miss an opportunity to get Al's body back."

"W… what?" Ed looked as though he might pass out. After flipping several switches and twiddling a few dials, the Doctor placed his hands on Ed's shoulders and gazed into those fiery eyes.

"Listen to me, Ed. You can do it. Before this day ends, you _will_ send the Homunculus back to the nothingness, and Al _will_ be human again. Trust me, I know."

"Because you have a doctorate in this time-travel business?"

"Something like that." The Doctor grabbed one final lever. "Good luck, Ed. I wish we had more time to talk, but that'll have to wait until after you finish this battle." He adjusted the lever's position so that the TARDIS would reverse the process of diverting Ed's path, and the boy immediately began to deconstruct.

"You never did tell me… how you knew my name."

"I know lots of things. I'll have to tell you another time."

And then, he was gone. It had all happened so quickly, but it had been just what the Doctor had needed. He had felt so alone, knowing he was once again the last of the Time Lords, and the TARDIS had empathized with that pain and brought… Ed.

"Oh, you sexy thing. Out of all the humans you could have transported here to cheer me up, you just had to go and remind me about _him_. You beautiful, brilliant machine."

The Doctor slumped against the wall of the TARDIS and closed his eyes, letting the distant memories wash over him…

* * *

"Hello, Trisha," said Van Hohenheim as he crouched in front of her grave. "I'm home." He smiled to himself. "So, get this: Ed actually called me his father… although, he did preface it with 'rotten.'" His body was finally starting to give out, having been forced to live for so long. "Living through all of these endless years, I always felt like I'd been struck with a curse… but then, I found you, and we had our sons, and I suddenly felt blessed for the life I had. I've had a fulfilling life… thanks to you. It's been enough. Thank you, Trisha." It wouldn't be long now; he could barely move. "But now, believe it or not, I actually want to keep on living. I guess I'm pretty hopeless, aren't I, Trisha?"

"Hohenheim! I didn't know you were back!"

That was Pinako's voice. Hohenheim opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Hello, Pinako. I think… I've finally reached the end of this long road."

Pinako shook her head. "Silly old fool. It's far too early for that." She reached into her apron and brought out a pocket watch with intricate carvings on one side. "I've carried this thing around for years now, just so I'd be ready when the time came."

"What do you mean, Pinako?"

"You still have a long way to travel, my old friend. Open this, and you'll understand." She handed him the trinket, and even though Hohenheim was confused, his curiosity got the better of him.

Inside the watch was… everything. Everything he had been before. It poured into him with such intensity that he could feel his body breaking down and regenerating. When, at last, the watch had emptied into him, he stood as a new man… or, more accurately, as a Time Lord in a new form.

"Well, I'll be," gawked Pinako. "I wanted to believe those instructions in that letter all those years ago, but I didn't know if I'd get the chance to see it with my own eyes."

"Thank you so much, Pinako," said the Time Lord. "I'm afraid must ask one more thing of you."

"Of course."

"If you would… make a grave for Van Hohenheim beside Trisha, I'd appreciate it. I wouldn't want the boys thinking I've just run off again. Especially Edward – he'd probably get furious with me."

"I understand," nodded Pinako. "I wish you a good journey, Mister-"

"Doctor," corrected the Time Lord pleasantly. "Just, 'the Doctor.'"

"Well then, Doctor, thank you for coming into our lives, if only for a short time."

"And thank _you_." He shook the small woman's hand before setting off. He had left the TARDIS back in Xerxes. Hopefully, four hundred years wouldn't have left it _too_ dusty.

* * *

The Doctor emerged from his retrospection and smiled again.

"Oh, Ed. I know… because I was there."

* * *

A/N: Well… are _you_ still there? Seatbelts buckled?

Ed saying "the Fuhrer's Amestrian" is like someone saying "the King's English."

I got Hohenheim's monologue straight from Episode 63 of _Brotherhood_, so it doesn't belong to me at all. Well, none of _FMA_ belongs to me anyway… or _Doctor Who_…

The chameleon circuits on the TARDIS hadn't broken when Hohenheim regenerated, so there wouldn't be a police box sitting in the middle of the ruins of Xerxes.


	2. An Offer of Adventure

_**The Secret Companion**_

_**by AngelG93**_

* * *

A/N: The first chapter was more of a teaser, and this chapter is more along the lines of setup, but there is still plot woven into it.

* * *

**Chapter 2: An Offer of Adventure**

Ed didn't even give the Doctor a second thought until everything he had said had come true. The Homunculus was gone, and Al was back. Everything had become peaceful… and terribly boring. Make no mistake; Ed was thrilled that his little brother had been restored, but he longed to travel again, to explore new places, study new sciences, and meet new people. And that was what inevitably drew his mind back to that man all in brown who roamed around in a time-traveling spaceship.

One late summer afternoon, Ed ambled up the hill where his childhood home had once stood and seated himself underneath the dead tree. A breeze kept the air from being too stifling, but Ed had to wipe the sweat from his forehead all the same. As he did so, he looked at the back of his right hand, flesh and bone once more. It was still a little thinner than his other arm, even though he'd been working hard to beef it up, but he guessed he couldn't rush his body's natural rehabilitation. Al was definitely feeling the brunt of that fact, having to rely on a crutch even after four-some months. Ed shifted his position against the blackened trunk… and that was when he saw it: a blue telephone booth labeled 'Police Call Box'. _That_ definitely hadn't been there before, so where had it come from? Getting to his feet, Ed approached the strange landmark and, out of curiosity, tried the door. It opened. When he stepped inside, he nearly fell over from shock. It was the spaceship, the time-traveling vessel he'd gotten zapped into on the Promised Day. And, if the ship was here, its pilot couldn't be far off.

* * *

He had always loved how peaceful Resembool was, with its rolling hills dotted with sheep and the hazy mountains in the distance. Of course, he had reasons other than enjoying the scenery on this particular trip. He'd done his best to land a few months after the Promised Day, and from a recent newspaper he'd found lying around, he had succeeded. Having then safely parked the TARDIS, he strolled along the familiar country lane to the simple cemetery. Even though, in this time frame, he had visited only a few months ago, for _him_ it had been almost a hundred years. His feet led him to the right grave, and he crouched in front of the headstone.

"Hello, Trisha. I'm home… again." He ran a hand over the stone marker before continuing, "I'm alone again, too – the very thing I feared all those years ago. But, I think… that I might have found someone crazy enough to tag along with me." He smiled as he said, "He's a good kid, our Ed. I swear to you, Trisha, I'll look after him, keep him safe. The only problem is… how am I supposed to tell him?"

"Tell 'him' what?"

The Doctor whirled around to find Ed standing a yard or so away.

"Oh! Just the boy I was looking for. Been standing there long?"

"No," said Ed, panting slightly. "Just got here." He closed the distance to the Doctor and asked, "So, what is it you don't know how to tell me?"

"Uh… well… you see…" The Doctor composed himself as a diversionary question popped into his head, "Care to travel with me?"

"Come again?"

"You. Travel. With Me. In the TARDIS. Across the universe," the Time Lord enunciated.

Ed blinked. "Really? You mean it?"

"Is that a 'yes,' then?"

"Hell, yes! I've been bored out of my skull sitting around doing nothing!"

"Well, then, glad _that_ was easily settled. Why don't you run along, pack, tell your family, all that, and I'll just… 'get the car,' as they say."

Ed nodded and tore away down the road.

"Oh, ho, look at him go," chuckled the Doctor. "One has to wonder where he got that stir-crazy streak from." With that inside joke, he set off for the hill and his ship.

* * *

"Brother? You look like you're in a hurry," Al greeted.

"Sorry, Al, I don't have much time to talk." Ed whipped out his trunk and started tossing clothes and other essential items inside. "I'm going… traveling."

"Really? Where to?"

"I dunno, I'll figure it out when I get there."

"So, you don't have a plan?"

"I don't, but the Doctor does."

"And, 'the Doctor' is…?"

"I told you, that time-traveler I met on the Promised Day."

"So… you didn't hallucinate that?"

Ed paused and turned to face Al. "You… you thought I made it up?"

"I didn't know what to think, Ed. Technology like that would have to be…"

"Alien."

"Exactly, and that's just… I won't lie, it sounds a little far-fetched."

"And I thought _you_ were the open-minded one."

"Ed, please, I don't want to fight about it. If this Doctor is real, then I want to see him for myself."

"How's the packing coming, Ed, my boy?" said the Doctor, peeking over Al's shoulder and giving the younger Elric quite a fright. "Oh, steady there, Al; it's only little old me."

"How does he know my name?" Al gaped, looking at his brother for answers.

"He knows a lot of things," Ed shrugged. "It spooked me the first time, too."

"Who let you in?" Al asked the Doctor.

"Winry did; she's such a sweet girl. Ed's a lucky fellow."

Ed dropped a heavy alchemy book as he stared at the Doctor. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, has that not happened yet? I sometimes mix up these details. Forget I said anything. Spoilers…" He pressed a finger to his lips for emphasis, and Al's brow furrowed.

"Um, Doctor, could Ed and I have a moment?"

"Oh, sorry. Don't mind me." He turned with a swish of his trench coat and traipsed downstairs.

Al shut the door with him and Ed inside. "He's real."

"Told ya so."

"He seems… not all there."

"He's not a lunatic, Al. He's just… I dunno…"

"That's just it: you don't know. You spent… what, three minutes with him? You don't know anything about him."

"I don't need to, Al. It's… something in my gut tells me I can trust him. It's like a spark, or a bond, or…" He noticed Al's concerned expression, "I'm not making sense, am I?"

"I just want you to know what you're getting into."

"I know exactly what I'm getting into: the chance to see the whole universe! I'll write it all down and bring it back to you, so you can learn about it, too. Unless, you'd rather just… come along."

"I can't, Ed." Al shook his head and indicated his crutch. "I'd only slow you down."

"Don't say that. I'll ask the Doctor; we can-"

"No, Ed. It's fine, really." He clasped Ed's hand in his own. "Just come home safely, okay?"

"Will do. I promise." Ed gripped his little brother in a tight hug before snapping the trunk shut and dangling it behind one shoulder. "Well, I'm off."

The brothers walked down to the kitchen, where they found Pinako offering tea to their unusual guest. Winry was avidly examining a small, cylindrical device, barely restraining herself from dissecting it.

"What's that?" Al asked curiously.

"Sonic screwdriver," the Doctor filled in.

"Oh, I want to take it apart," crooned Winry. "I want to put it back together again."

"I wouldn't, Winry," Ed advised. "You're the best automail mechanic there is, but it's not safe to meddle with tech that's out of your league."

"Are you implying I'm not smart enough to understand it?" growled Winry, raising a wrench above her head.

"No! No, I just mean… if it works under concepts you're not familiar with, it'll be easier for something to go wrong."

"Do things _usually_ go wrong when I'm working?" Her weapon of choice was looking quite dangerous.

"No! Dammit, why do you always take what I say the wrong way?" Ed refused to back down, even with Winry threatening to lob that wrench at his head any second now.

"All right, all right, children," intervened the Doctor, "Can't we all just calm down and have a cup of tea? I love tea, don't you?"

Ed and Winry glared at each other, but then Ed remembered what the Doctor had hinted at before, and his face turned crimson. He promptly sat, grabbed an unclaimed teacup, and focused all his attention on sipping the hot beverage so he wouldn't have to look at her. Eventually, Winry relaxed and returned the sonic screwdriver to its owner.

"Thank you," said the Doctor, "and, for the tea as well. Ready, Ed?"

"Yep," replied the blonde, setting the cup back in its saucer and grabbing his coat from the rack. He caught Winry's eye for a moment, and she looked forlorn. "Something up?" he ventured as the Doctor said goodbye to Pinako and Al.

"It's just… you're leaving again." She pressed her lips together as if suppressing an urge to cry.

"Hey," Ed assured her, wrapping her small, calloused hands in his. "I'll come back, Winry."

She sniffed and smiled sadly at him. "You had better, dummy." She stood on tiptoe and planted a swift kiss on his cheek before slipping away to her workshop, leaving Ed in a daze.

"Oh… well, then. It wasn't too much of a spoiler, I suppose," said the Doctor, having watched the brief exchange. "Right then, Ed. Allons-y."

"Huh?"

"Oh, right; this planet doesn't have French. It means, 'Let's go.'"

"Okay. Lead on."

"That's the spirit!" He swung open the door and half-skipped down the front steps. Ed could have sworn he heard an ecstatic cackle.

"And, you're sure he's not… crazy?" checked Al.

Ed shrugged. "If he is, it's in a good way. See ya!" And, with that, he stepped out the door after the Doctor.

* * *

A/N: Oh, Doctor, you like to keep your secrets, don't you?

I'm an EdWin fan, so… yeah ^_^


End file.
